A wide variety of different electronic data-storage methods have been used, and are currently used, in computer systems, telecommunications systems, and all manner of electronic device and appliances. Different types of electronic data-storage technologies offer different advantages. For example, magnetic-disk mass-storage devices provide cost-effective, extremely high-capacity, and non-volatile data storage, but provide relatively slow access times. By contrast, extremely high-speed processor registers within the central processing units (“CPUs”) of computer systems provide fast access, but are characterized by high cost per bit of stored data and volatility. Designers, developers, and manufacturers of computer systems, telecommunications systems, and a wide variety of electronic devices and appliances generally devote significant time, financial resources, and effort to balancing the various advantages and disadvantages of different types of electronic memory in order to produce electronic systems with desired functionality and performance and with the lowest-possible cost, often using many different types of electronic data storage hierarchically organized within a particular system or device in order to obtain both fast access to stored data as well as cost-effective data storage with adequate capacity and at least partial data persistence, or non-volatility, over power-on and power-off cycles. Designers, developers, and manufacturers of computer systems, telecommunications equipment, and a wide variety of electronic appliances and devices continue to seek new types of electronic data-storage devices and technologies that provide useful characteristics and that can be added to the suite of currently existing devices and technologies in order to further flexibility in designing, developing, and manufacturing cost-effective, high-performance systems and devices.